Traditionally, the majority of students who were permitted to enroll in Advanced Placement classes consisted of gifted students, white students with high standardized test scores who received teacher recommendation and students who were recommended by their guidance counselors. Around 2005, several school communities began to see a shift in the economic make-up and ethnicity of families, with the results being a higher population of African American and Hispanic students being enrolled in what were once predominantly white schools. Although this shift happened, AP courses offered in the schools did not reflect the majority population of the school.
A close examination of local, state, and national test data shows that there is a disparity in the performance of low-economic, African American, and Hispanic students which is contributing to their underrepresentation in AP courses. In addition to the data, teachers and guidance counselors do not take the initiative to invite students which they know are capable of succeeding in these classes to enroll. Finally, barriers like lack of materials, resources, poor attendance, and lack of knowledge on the part of the students and their parents regarding the benefits of AP courses have contributed to the underrepresentation of low economic and minority students in AP classes.
The Organization’s History and Background, Part 2 What information about the company would be useful to help you plan an appropriate intervention?
In order to provide appropriate interventions, I will need: - A list of the low economic, African American and Hispanic students in the school I assigned to work - Access to local, state and national test data of these students - Transcripts of grades for core subjects - Background information on teachers teaching core AP courses - AP teachers historical test data to get a sense of how students performed on tests - What AP courses are currently being offered in the core areas? - Information regarding what kind of budget I will have to provide intervention
Determine where the organization would like to be in a reasonable period of time, and which people in the organization make those decisions.
Milestones will be set-up to occur during the first two quarters of the school year. This will be checked through a series of indicators which will address specific goals which need to be conducted in order to move towards increasing representation and removing barriers. By the end of the school year, the goal will be to show an increase in AP courses participation by low economic, African American, and Hispanic students for the next school year.
Intervention Strategies
The outlined cost have been established to support eliminating barriers which have been used to prevent all eligible students from participating in AP courses. Hopefully by creating training for both teachers and students, fear of participating in rigorous classes will be addressed by other teachers within and outside of the district on best practices and tips for helping these students be successful. The strategies implicated below will result in increased participation of low economic and underrepresented students up to 12% by the end of the school year.
Low Cost Strategy – Approximately $5000
Conduct Cluster and Content Networking meetings with the Advanced Placement teachers in identified schools to provide clear expectations and timelines for meeting the goals of increasing participation of low economic and underrepresented students in AP classes.
Provide AP tutoring/mentoring sessions for low economic students.
Provide incentives to insure their participation in support groups established for them.
Plan to hold at least three informational meetings for parents and students to make them aware of the benefits for taking AP courses.
Medium Cost Strategy – Approximately $25,000
Arrange for College Board staff members to conduct on-site training for AP teachers regarding instructional strategies, Vertical aligning of middle and high school classes to help prepare students for rigorous classes.
Purchase supplies and materials for teachers and low economic students in the form of study aides, reading books for home use, math equipment, and etc.
Meet with community leaders, businesses, and etc. to raise money to support plans for Instructional Intervention after school and on weekends.
Low economic students will participate in college campus visits to learn about college entrance, benefits of taking AP courses,
High Cost Strategy – Approximately $ 100,000
Send teachers and administrators to College Board for training during their Summer Institute.
Teachers and Administrators will attend various conferences to gain knowledge on using data to support instruction and learn best practices for instruction in an AP classes.
Coordinate visitation of other school districts to gain insight into techniques and practices they used to increase participation of low economic students and underrepresented students in AP classes.
Institute summer boot camp to provide students with insight and study skill training prior to entering or returning to an AP class.
Human Performance Problem (Performance Gap)
Cause Analysis:
Traditionally, the majority of students who were permitted to enroll in Advanced Placement classes consisted of gifted students, white students with high standardized test scores who received teacher recommendation and students who were recommended by their guidance counselors. Around 2005, several school communities began to see a shift in the economic make-up and ethnicity of families, with the results being a higher population of African American and Hispanic students being enrolled in what were once predominantly white schools. Although this shift happened, AP courses offered in the schools did not reflect the majority population of the school.
A close examination of local, state, and national test data shows that there is a disparity in the performance of low-economic, African American, and Hispanic students which is contributing to their underrepresentation in AP courses. In addition to the data, teachers and guidance counselors do not take the initiative to invite students which they know are capable of succeeding in these classes to enroll. Finally, barriers like lack of materials, resources, poor attendance, and lack of knowledge on the part of the students and their parents regarding the benefits of AP courses have contributed to the underrepresentation of low economic and minority students in AP classes.
The Organization’s History and Background, Part 2
What information about the company would be useful to help you plan an appropriate intervention?
In order to provide appropriate interventions, I will need:
- A list of the low economic, African American and Hispanic students in the school I assigned to work
- Access to local, state and national test data of these students
- Transcripts of grades for core subjects
- Background information on teachers teaching core AP courses
- AP teachers historical test data to get a sense of how students performed on tests
- What AP courses are currently being offered in the core areas?
- Information regarding what kind of budget I will have to provide intervention
Determine where the organization would like to be in a reasonable period of time, and which people in the organization make those decisions.
Milestones will be set-up to occur during the first two quarters of the school year. This will be checked through a series of indicators which will address specific goals which need to be conducted in order to move towards increasing representation and removing barriers. By the end of the school year, the goal will be to show an increase in AP courses participation by low economic, African American, and Hispanic students for the next school year.
Intervention Strategies
The outlined cost have been established to support eliminating barriers which have been used to prevent all eligible students from participating in AP courses. Hopefully by creating training for both teachers and students, fear of participating in rigorous classes will be addressed by other teachers within and outside of the district on best practices and tips for helping these students be successful. The strategies implicated below will result in increased participation of low economic and underrepresented students up to 12% by the end of the school year.
Low Cost Strategy – Approximately $5000
- Conduct Cluster and Content Networking meetings with the Advanced Placement teachers in identified schools to provide clear expectations and timelines for meeting the goals of increasing participation of low economic and underrepresented students in AP classes.
- Provide AP tutoring/mentoring sessions for low economic students.
- Provide incentives to insure their participation in support groups established for them.
- Plan to hold at least three informational meetings for parents and students to make them aware of the benefits for taking AP courses.
Medium Cost Strategy – Approximately $25,000- Arrange for College Board staff members to conduct on-site training for AP teachers regarding instructional strategies, Vertical aligning of middle and high school classes to help prepare students for rigorous classes.
- Purchase supplies and materials for teachers and low economic students in the form of study aides, reading books for home use, math equipment, and etc.
- Meet with community leaders, businesses, and etc. to raise money to support plans for Instructional Intervention after school and on weekends.
- Low economic students will participate in college campus visits to learn about college entrance, benefits of taking AP courses,
High Cost Strategy – Approximately $ 100,000